Not Affected by The Whether

 

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Today, in our world, we have people who are known as meteorologist that construct W.E.A.T.H.E.R. forecasts.

Weather forecasts are made by collecting data about the current state of the atmosphere at a given place and using our scientific understanding of atmospheric processes to project how the atmosphere will evolve at that place.

For years’ people have tried and continue to try to predict the weather.

Now in the church we are not exempt from W.H.E.T.H.E.R forecasting.

Some folks are always predicting cloudy skies of disappointment.

There will be those who will say things such as “I wouldn’t try that if I were you; it’s bound to fail.” They will discourage good people from stepping out by faith and exploring new places in their walk with God. There will always be a question as to whether or not something will work or be successful.

In Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, the writer is giving us insight for those who chose to be affected by the whether.

4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

If you focus on the wind, you won’t sow anything; if you focus on the clouds, you won’t reap anything.

If farmers decided to not plant any seeds or harvest any crops, because it looked like it might rain or if they felt it was too windy; we would all be in big trouble. Unfortunately, that’s not the weather we want to talk about. We are talking about the W.H.E.T.H.E.R.

Whether – expressing a doubt about a choice between alternatives.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

According to the writer: we don’t know the works of God, we should just do what has been proven to work! In the morning sow your seed, in the evening don’t stop. “For thou knowest not whether shall prosper either or both.”

Don’t allow your external circumstances to keep you from doing what God has called you to do. Don’t stop praying because you didn’t get the answer you wanted last time! Don’t cease to fast because you’re not sure if it will work! Don’t give up on daily bible reading because you’re not sure what some things mean!

Whether or not I understand everything! Whether or not I get what I want! Whether or not If it works! I have to do it, because if I do; it may prosper, but If I don’t I’ve already failed.

Some folks never venture out of their comfort zone; they are complacent in their routine.

Psalm 126:5-6

5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Even in our grief, sorrow, and sickness; we have to sow.

Whether or not it grows and works is up to God, but Paul declared:

1 Corinthians 3:6-7

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

Mark 4:35-40

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Jesus is with his disciples in the ship, he just finished teaching a multitude of people, and he’s exhausted, sleeping in the back of the boat. A giant storm arises and his disciples get scare senseless. This story has two storms; one made my nature and one by human-nature. The natural storm wasn’t the one to be worried about; yes, it could have capsized the ship, it could have drowned the men, but that wasn’t the one to be concerned with.

It was the storm in the minds of the disciples: “Do you care about us; don’t you realize that we are going to die!”

The whether needs to be addressed tonight. It has nothing to do with meteorology, but it’s whether or not he loves me enough to let me go through the storm, and he knows what’s best for me. Yes, he does love me and whether he chooses to bless me and make life easy or if he knows I need challenges; I have faith that He Loves me.

When you get a revelation that He knows me, He loves me, then when the storms come and the winds and waves crash against your vessel you can do as Peter did in another story; he walked on the water. He had faith; He loves me; He won’t let me down.

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Mustard seed determination!

There is a scientific discipline within the field of Botany called Allelopathy. Allelopathy [uh-lee-lop-uh-thee,] is a process that describes the inhibition of growth in one species of plants by chemicals produced by another species of plants. In other words, it is the tendency of a plant to be affected by the characteristics of its surroundings. Seeds can be affected by what is in the soil and even by the toxins from surrounding plants. According to the American Heritage dictionary, “… plants will often not grow underneath black walnut trees, since these trees produce juglone, a chemical inhibiting plant respiration.” This inhibition of growth can affect the size, color, and even the taste of a vegetable. When people say, “the tomatoes aren’t very good this year” it is not always because of lack of rain.

Many plants have a tendency to be affected by their surroundings, altered by their environment, and changed by constant forces of the climate. For example, if you plant a tomato seed and jalapeno seed together the result is hot tomatoes. Why? The tomato, like many other vegetables are affected by its surroundings. So what does this have to do with anything?

Glad you asked! Here is the biblical application!

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

What scientists have found out about the mustard seed is it has the tendency to remain unaffected by its surroundings. You can plant the mustard seed anywhere and it grows and tastes the same. You can plant it right on top of a jalapeno and it will be pure mustard. It has even shown to be an invasive plant that will take the negative toxins of its environment and use them for its good!

To have the kind of faith that Jesus talked about is to not let your surroundings change how much you are willing to be believe God in your situation. Mustard seed determination doesn’t care if people say it will never happen, the circumstance has gotten worse since you prayed, and if everyone criticizes what God has promised you.

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Who is the “he” that David is talking about? He is the “Man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” The counsel of the ungodly will always be part of your surroundings! The seat of the scornful will always be part of your surroundings! The way of the sinners will always be part of your surroundings!

But David said, I’m not walking in the counsel of the ungodly, I am not sitting in the seat of the scornful. But I am standing on the promises of Christ, my King, through eternal ages let his praises ring; glory in the highest I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God.

Friend, whether you praise Him or not, whether you serve him or not you won’t affect me.

And maybe we can say as Paul did:

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.